By: Ryan Hill — Public Relations
Madison, WI — May 28, 2013. A total of 10 Mallards players on six different teams are currently playing in the 2013 NCAA and NJCAA Baseball Tournaments. Reilly Hovis and Taylore Cherry (North Carolina), Joe McCarthy and John LaPrise (Virginia), Kevin Duchene and Jason Goldstein (Illinois), Connor Mason (Rice) and Jordan Tabakman (UConn) received berths in the 2013 NCAA Baseball Tournament. Ryan McShane and Cody Peterson (Madison College) are currently playing in the NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series.
North Carolina (52-8) received the No. 1 overall seed and will host Florida Atlantic, Towson and Canisius in the Chapel Hill Regional. Their No. 1 overall seed marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons that the Tar Heels captured a top-eight national seed. The Tar Heels, which finished as the ACC regular season and tournament champions, are making their 28th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Mallards pitcher Reilly Hovis proved to be one of the Tar Heels’ most reliable options out of the bullpen. The freshman made 15 appearances—four of which were starts—and went 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA. Freshman Taylore Cherry will also be heading to Madison this summer and went 1-0 with a 6.48 ERA in six appearances. He made his first career start in the ACC Championship game Sunday against Virginia Tech. The 6’8″ freshman pitched five innings, scattering five hits, walking two and giving up only one earned run. It marked his first collegiate victory and the Tar Heels went on to win by a score of 4-1.
Virginia (47-10) earned the tournament’s No. 6 overall seed after running through the ACC in the regular season much like the Tar Heels did. They will compete in the Charlottesville Regional with UNC-Wilmington, Elon and Army.
Freshman Mallards outfielder Joe McCarthy is heading into the tournament on a hot streak, as the Scranton, Pennsylvania native went 3-for-5 with a home run in the Cavaliers’ final game in the ACC Tournament. He finished the regular season hitting .329 with four home runs and 49 RBIs. Freshman infielder John LaPrise will be joining McCarthy with the Mallards this summer and hit .171 in 35 at-bats for the Cavaliers.
The Fighting Illini (34-18) earned an at-large bid and received the No. 3 seed in the Nashville Regional, marking the Illini’s second regional berth in the past three years. They will play against Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and East Tennessee State in the region.
Illini pitcher-catcher combo Kevin Duchene—who was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year—and Jason Goldstein will be joining the Mallards this summer. Duchene tied for the Big Ten lead in wins with eight and had only one loss in his 17 appearances. He also had an ERA of 2.69. Goldstein hit .239 on the year with 11 RBIs and led the Big Ten in runners caught stealing in conference play.
The Rice Owls (41-17) are making their 19th consecutive appearance in the tournament and were selected to play in the Eugene Regional along with the University of South Florida, South Dakota State University and Oregon. Mallards pitcher Connor Mason was part of the Owls team that finished as the Conference USA regular season and conference tournament champions. Mason was used sparingly because of Tommy John surgery that also forced him to sit out the 2012 season, but went 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two relief appearances and one start.
The UConn Huskies (34-26) are perhaps the team heading into the tournament with the most momentum, as the Huskies won the Big East tournament as the No. 8 seed and entered with a 9-15 conference record. They will be playing in the Blacksburg Regional with Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Coastal Carolina. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Jordan Tabakman will be heading to Madison after the tournament’s conclusion and was a staple in the Huskies’ bullpen. He went 6-2 in 21 appearances—which included six starts—and had an ERA of 2.50. He started in the Big East semifinal game against Rutgers last Saturday and went seven innings while allowing only six hits and no earned runs.
Ryan McShane, a Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin native, is playing for Madison College (41-12) in the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Oklahoma. The Wolfpack nearly saw themselves get no-hit in their opening game of the tournament against North Iowa Area Community College and had the opposing pitcher set a record of 16 strikeouts against them, but have gone on to win their next two games. McShane went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI in their 9-0 win against Grand Rapids Community College on Monday. Cody Peterson, who will be on a temporary contract with the Mallards this summer, got the win by pitching seven innings of five-hit ball while allowing only one earned run. They play Scottsdale Community College today at 3:30 pm.
The Mallards will host their season opener against the Eau Claire Express on May 29th at 7:05 pm at the “Duck Pond.” Single-game tickets are on sale now! 
The Madison Mallards are part of the 16-team Northwoods League. The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any other Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America. In 2013, the Northwoods League will celebrate its 20th season.
